MITSUGIRLY BREAKAWAY's 1 last time for the year-review/pictorial

[ncklhaus]

Hey Kim. Going back to the wine, you might want to try a "Gewurztraminer". I don't like dry wines and I do prefer mine on the sweet side.

 

Here's a little info on it and I think it may be a good sweet wine you may like.

http://winefolly.com/review/gewurztraminer-wine-guide/

[TardisDance]

If you have the availability in your area, there's a lot of good semi-sweet wines from the Fingers Lakes region of NY. I'm not much of a wine person, but I'm a huge fan of Hazlitt's Red Cat. They are even sold in huge box wine-like party pouches :D

[ala1017]

I have to chime in on the wine as well..like you, I wish I liked the stuff. I always hear women at work say they went home and relaxed with a glass of wine and I'm over here like "I had a coke..." So...the only wine I have ever tried and liked is this one......it's sweet, not bitter. I do not know how to pronounce it..or spell it... The reason for the photo. I take it to the wine store down the road and show him the picture and he usually appears with the bottle. He says it's hard to keep in stock because apparently it's a popular wine around here. It's cheap too..$17.95 a bottle.

[SuiteTraveler]

Ok, so I want to know what wine is good for just sitting around and drinking a glass (for me)? I would love to be able to just relax with a glass of wine (not eating) after a day at work while charting or while doing some homework. So take food out of the picture and give me a suggestion. :D

 

Wine is the perfect drink. It is the only beverage, other than milk that has all the components of food.

 

If you think you are only going to drink 1 glass of wine, then you might be best off with single serve Copa Di Vino White Zinfandel as it comes in its own glass and you can open them one at a time as opposed to opening a whole regular sized bottle which is 4 glasses of wine. Refrigerate before serving.

http://onlinestore.copadivino.com/copa-di-vino-c1.aspx

 

If you want to try a bottle, similar to White Zinfandel but with even more flavor is Gamay Rouge - this is one of my personal favorite sweet wines - it is really a treat and you can order it over the internet:

https://www.vsattui.com/product/GamayRouge

 

This Gamay Rouge is great with most food or just to sip alone. It is meant to be drunk young. It's just a wonderful drinkable wine that even non wine drinkers find delicious. Since 1990 I have always bought at least 1 - 3 cases every year and they have been consistently good. Serve chilled. This wine is ideal for Thanksgiving and great with pizza too. In fact, it goes with almost anything. I just opened one of these bottles of V. Sattui Gamay Rouge - this one from 2011. (An older bottle - so why not get rid of it? This is what happens when I talk about wine, LOL!) The wine is a beautiful light red color. The nose is lemon and strawberries. First sip, I get strawberry fruit punch and roses with a grapefruit tang at the end. The wine paints broad rainbow shaped fingers on side of my glass demonstrating the richness of its sugar content. When I hold the wine in my mouth centered on my tongue, I get the intense flavor of cherry pie. Yes, this is a very drinkable wine. But should you find it too overwhelming on the first try, try it with some white cheese such as brie or Swiss or even string cheese - whatever white cheese you like. This will bend the flavor of the wine to the sweeter side and the tartness in the finish will become milder or even disappear. As you develop your wine palate, the need to use food to bend the wine to your liking will go away. But using a little food when you are a beginner is very helpful.

 

The only issue with Gamay Rouge is that you are not going to be able to get this at most restaurants or on cruise ships unless you bring your own. There is nothing similar on the NCL wine list. So that is my only hesitancy about recommending this wonderful Gamay Rouge wine to you - but once you try this, I think you will be hooked.

 

Here are two high quality (and highly rated) White Zinfandels you can order online:

 

Copper Ridge White Zinfandel (California) $6.99 bottle (Peachy nose, berry flavor)

http://www.winelegacy.com/ItemDetail.aspx?Item_ID=350&Source=copp&gclid=CjwKEAiAgvyxBRDmuviAj67g-XQSJABTLMcHKHxkFWTVDh_WDjT4diSLOfZibdmMb9Tzg7MqvRGjVBoC0vDw_wcB

 

Round Hill White Zinfandel (California) $8.00 (strawberry, lime, watermelon)

http://shop.rutherfordranch.com/SHOP.AMS?LEVEL=MID&CATCODE=RHW

 

Serve the above wines chilled.

 

Since I know you drink a lot of diet Coke, be sure to clear your palate before you drink wine by drinking some water and eating a plain cracker such as a table water cracker or piece of bread. You want your mouth to be as neutral as possible before you drink wine. Even so, it is still possible that the first few sips might seem unpleasant. Drink more water and then go back to the wine and I think you will reach a point where your mouth finally adjusts to the wine and it begins to taste good. This article is very helpful in explaining how to taste wine:

http://www.winemag.com/how-to-taste-wine/

[daniella1279]

I like wine to be very cold. Maybe try a glass over some ice? Maybe that will help. It's def a taste that take a while to get use to. At least for me.

 

Danielle

 

 

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[SuiteTraveler]

I have to chime in on the wine as well..like you, I wish I liked the stuff. I always hear women at work say they went home and relaxed with a glass of wine and I'm over here like "I had a coke..." So...the only wine I have ever tried and liked is this one...[ATTACH]367902[/ATTACH]...it's sweet, not bitter. I do not know how to pronounce it..or spell it... The reason for the photo. I take it to the wine store down the road and show him the picture and he usually appears with the bottle. He says it's hard to keep in stock because apparently it's a popular wine around here. It's cheap too..$17.95 a bottle.

 

Here's how to pronounce it:

 

San gwee dee Ji oo dah

 

translates to Blood of Judas - it's a sweet red sparkling wine - somewhat similar to the Gamay Rouge but effervescent instead of still.

[SuiteTraveler]

I like wine to be very cold. Maybe try a glass over some ice? Maybe that will help. It's def a taste that take a while to get use to. At least for me.

 

Danielle

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Taking a while to get used to wine is normal for everyone. Unless your parents served you diluted wine as a kid (common in other countries but not so much in the US), you will not have a wine palate until you train your wine palate as an adult. Then and only then, you will enjoy wine.

[daniella1279]

Taking a while to get used to wine is normal for everyone. Unless your parents served you diluted wine as a kid (common in other countries but not so much in the US), you will not have a wine palate until you train your wine palate as an adult. Then and only then, you will enjoy wine.

 

 

Over the years I've gotten use to wine and even started to venture to different types. Don't care for red but mixed I can handle it.

 

 

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[ala1017]

Here's how to pronounce it:

 

 

 

San gwee dee Ji oo dah

 

 

 

translates to Blood of Judas - it's a sweet red sparkling wine - somewhat similar to the Gamay Rouge but effervescent instead of still.

 

 

Thank you SuiteTraveler! Maybe that's why I like it so much because of the tingly. Or "effervescent" effect. It's very good. I used to live in Michigan and cannot tell you how many wine tastings I've been too in Traverse City. Wine is a big deal up there. Also I will be traveling to Napa Valley in March and I'm sure we'll be tasting a ton there. Hopefully I'll get adventurous and find another I like!

[mabones]

I just bought some yesterday. DELICIOUS!!!

[hlb76]

I'm not a wine person but I do like a Mascato. If you have a Trader Joe's they have a bubbly Mascato I like. Something about the fizz helps too. So glad your back. Sorry life has been so stressful.

[mitsugirly]

Yes, ships always have either Sprite, 7UP or Ginger ale as they are used in a lot of mixed drinks. An opened bottle of wine goes bad in about 24 hours - there is a marked change in flavor for the worse as it starts rotting and develops a vinegar flavor. You can preserve it for a day or so by using a special vacuum stopper and sucking out most of the air in the bottle or using a special wine preservation system (very expensive - it's like the wine vending systems you see onboard NCL ships.) In most cases, though, it is best to tip out an opened bottle of wine after a day or so OR you add a piece of Mother of Vinegar to the bottle to turn it to vinegar - best done with a quality red or white wine - not a dessert wine. The old wine in your refrigerator has not only gone bad by now, it has also probably taken on food odors, so throw that stuff out! Blech! Here is where you can get Mother of Vinegar in case you ever want to try this:

http://www.store.homebrew4less.com/Mother-Of-Vinegar/products/871/

It's a good solution for if you are given a bottle of red or white wine that you don't want but don't have anyone to give it to, so you could teach Sakari how to make wine vinegar which can be used in sauces or salad dressing for example. And I should mention that the red wine vinegar you make from a good quality Cabernet or Merlot is drastically superior in every way to what you can buy in stores.

http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/the-virtue-of-homemade-vinegar

 

 

Thanks for this info. :) Still taking notes.

 

Kim, in my experience, any cruise that ends with the ship above water is a good one. [emoji6]

 

As for Moscato, there ARE differences. I have one of those part bottles in my fridge. It was horribly bitter. I mix it with some juice or add a little to a sauce to use it up. I hate to just pour it out.

 

I hope your subsequent weeks of class get easier.

 

YES! Exactly! :p

 

(I hope they get better too). :(

[WinstonsMom]

Hey Kim. Going back to the wine, you might want to try a "Gewurztraminer". I don't like dry wines and I do prefer mine on the sweet side.

 

Here's a little info on it and I think it may be a good sweet wine you may like.

http://winefolly.com/review/gewurztraminer-wine-guide/

 

I concur on the Gewurzraminer recommendation. I particularly enjoy the Fetzer version.

[mitsugirly]

Originally Posted by ala1017 You're so silly! Don't feel bad! Like I said, We WILL have a great time. My hubby and daughter have no choice in the matter...I'll force a good time upon them...lol. We only have one excursion set up which is a Dune Buggy thingy in Cozumel. I went with an outside company that was highly recommended and I saved about 200 bucks for the 5 of us going through them and not the ship. It's 9-2 so I gave us plenty of time to get back to the ship. We are also planning on checking out Blue Kay as that looked right up my alley (from your experience that you shared) other than that... I guess we're gonna wing it...probably something that would scare the poo outta you..lol. I love your planning and attention to detail! Im just a fly by the seat of her pants kinda gal..which scares the poo out of my husband!

 

There ya go...force that good time no matter what. j/k You'll have a good time.

 

Oh gosh, I hope you have a fantastic time at Blue Kay. It really is pretty. I plan on going back again myself. :)

 

:eek:Oh gosh...a "winger" :eek: I could never travel with you. The unknown scares me. :o :D

 

 

Originally Posted by Debala715 Just use those half drunk bottles to make a sangria. Tons of recipes on the internet using Moscato.

 

I loved Cooper's Hawk Sweet Red, but discovered that my face turned bright red and I began to feel like my breath was being cut off. The other reds that I have tried cause the same reaction so all of those have been cut for me.

 

With White Wines, I noticed that for most of the dry ones, I get a horrible headache and a milder reaction as above, so I don't really drink that many of them. I too have noticed that some Rieslings are more bitter than others. There is one I tend to buy more often than others and that is Schmitt Söhne Riesling.

 

So are you saying you can make this wine that has been sitting around for awhile?

 

I'm so glad I don't get a reaction...other than a prune face. :p

[mitsugirly]

Hey Kim. Going back to the wine, you might want to try a "Gewurztraminer". I don't like dry wines and I do prefer mine on the sweet side.

 

Here's a little info on it and I think it may be a good sweet wine you may like.

http://winefolly.com/review/gewurztraminer-wine-guide/

 

Thanks for the info JoAnn. So many wines to "try". I'm going to look like a wino when I walk out of the grocery store. :p

 

If you have the availability in your area, there's a lot of good semi-sweet wines from the Fingers Lakes region of NY. I'm not much of a wine person, but I'm a huge fan of Hazlitt's Red Cat. They are even sold in huge box wine-like party pouches :D

 

I have tried the box wines before and didn't like them. Of course I had no idea what they were. My "ex's" work use to have them during the Christmas party and I have tried them at party's as well.

[mitsugirly]

I have to chime in on the wine as well..like you, I wish I liked the stuff. I always hear women at work say they went home and relaxed with a glass of wine and I'm over here like "I had a coke..." So...the only wine I have ever tried and liked is this one...[ATTACH]367902[/ATTACH]...it's sweet, not bitter. I do not know how to pronounce it..or spell it... The reason for the photo. I take it to the wine store down the road and show him the picture and he usually appears with the bottle. He says it's hard to keep in stock because apparently it's a popular wine around here. It's cheap too..$17.95 a bottle.

 

EXACTLY! I go home and have a diet coke or pepsi. Caffeine me up! I so want to be able to say "I'm going home to relax to a nice glass of wine. LOL I swear every nurse I know constantly says this. I swear it's a requirement to be a nurse. I'm not fitting in at the moment. :p

 

Wine is the perfect drink. It is the only beverage, other than milk that has all the components of food.

 

If you think you are only going to drink 1 glass of wine, then you might be best off with single serve Copa Di Vino White Zinfandel as it comes in its own glass and you can open them one at a time as opposed to opening a whole regular sized bottle which is 4 glasses of wine. Refrigerate before serving.

http://onlinestore.copadivino.com/copa-di-vino-c1.aspx

 

If you want to try a bottle, similar to White Zinfandel but with even more flavor is Gamay Rouge - this is one of my personal favorite sweet wines - it is really a treat and you can order it over the internet:

https://www.vsattui.com/product/GamayRouge

 

This Gamay Rouge is great with most food or just to sip alone. It is meant to be drunk young. It's just a wonderful drinkable wine that even non wine drinkers find delicious. Since 1990 I have always bought at least 1 - 3 cases every year and they have been consistently good. Serve chilled. This wine is ideal for Thanksgiving and great with pizza too. In fact, it goes with almost anything. I just opened one of these bottles of V. Sattui Gamay Rouge - this one from 2011. (An older bottle - so why not get rid of it? This is what happens when I talk about wine, LOL!) The wine is a beautiful light red color. The nose is lemon and strawberries. First sip, I get strawberry fruit punch and roses with a grapefruit tang at the end. The wine paints broad rainbow shaped fingers on side of my glass demonstrating the richness of its sugar content. When I hold the wine in my mouth centered on my tongue, I get the intense flavor of cherry pie. Yes, this is a very drinkable wine. But should you find it too overwhelming on the first try, try it with some white cheese such as brie or Swiss or even string cheese - whatever white cheese you like. This will bend the flavor of the wine to the sweeter side and the tartness in the finish will become milder or even disappear. As you develop your wine palate, the need to use food to bend the wine to your liking will go away. But using a little food when you are a beginner is very helpful.

 

The only issue with Gamay Rouge is that you are not going to be able to get this at most restaurants or on cruise ships unless you bring your own. There is nothing similar on the NCL wine list. So that is my only hesitancy about recommending this wonderful Gamay Rouge wine to you - but once you try this, I think you will be hooked.

 

Here are two high quality (and highly rated) White Zinfandels you can order online:

 

Copper Ridge White Zinfandel (California) $6.99 bottle (Peachy nose, berry flavor)

http://www.winelegacy.com/ItemDetail.aspx?Item_ID=350&Source=copp&gclid=CjwKEAiAgvyxBRDmuviAj67g-XQSJABTLMcHKHxkFWTVDh_WDjT4diSLOfZibdmMb9Tzg7MqvRGjVBoC0vDw_wcB

 

Round Hill White Zinfandel (California) $8.00 (strawberry, lime, watermelon)

http://shop.rutherfordranch.com/SHOP.AMS?LEVEL=MID&CATCODE=RHW

 

Serve the above wines chilled.

 

Since I know you drink a lot of diet Coke, be sure to clear your palate before you drink wine by drinking some water and eating a plain cracker such as a table water cracker or piece of bread. You want your mouth to be as neutral as possible before you drink wine. Even so, it is still possible that the first few sips might seem unpleasant. Drink more water and then go back to the wine and I think you will reach a point where your mouth finally adjusts to the wine and it begins to taste good. This article is very helpful in explaining how to taste wine:

http://www.winemag.com/how-to-taste-wine/

 

Single serves. Now that's what I'm talking about. Can you get this in the grocery store? I sometimes buy the mixed drinks in the single serve. Those are pretty awesome. :p

 

I HAVE to have something that is cold. I just can't drink anything warm (unless it's hot chocolate). I don't do any tea or milk warm or anything else. So, (I'm not sure if this is right or not...) I was told many years ago that the red wines are room temp and white wines are chilled. I remember my very first cruise when I was 22 and the TA had a bottle of wine sent to our table at the MDR. It was the first time I had ever tried wine. Same reaction...yuck. It was a red wine and it was warm. Double yuck. I ask for a glass of ice and I thought the waiters eyes were going to pop out of their sockets. :p

 

Here's the thing with the wine we tried at La Cucina. I would say our palates were clear. We had the wine before we had our food and we didn't have anything to drink (even soft drinks) prior to that. We did also have some bread in between the first few drinks. :o

[mitsugirly]

I like wine to be very cold. Maybe try a glass over some ice? Maybe that will help. It's def a taste that take a while to get use to. At least for me.

 

Danielle

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Yep, I have to have it COLD. I have tried that before. No luck. :( I'm just going to say I have to get use to it. IF I can deal with it long enough to do that. :rolleyes:

 

Taking a while to get used to wine is normal for everyone. Unless your parents served you diluted wine as a kid (common in other countries but not so much in the US), you will not have a wine palate until you train your wine palate as an adult. Then and only then, you will enjoy wine.

 

Nope. Parents didn't serve me anything like that. My mom never drank at all and well...my dad was an alcoholic...Budweiser man only. He did let me sip that once and that was the beginning of me never being a big drinker and disliking anything that was bitter. :eek:

 

I guess I'll be training my palate. :)

[mitsugirly]

I'm not a wine person but I do like a Mascato. If you have a Trader Joe's they have a bubbly Mascato I like. Something about the fizz helps too. So glad your back. Sorry life has been so stressful.

 

Is the Mascato "bubbly" different than the regular?

 

I concur on the Gewurzraminer recommendation. I particularly enjoy the Fetzer version.

 

So many weird names. Definitely jotting them all down.

[mitsugirly]

Ok, I have all my pictures done and they are currently uploading to my host. I'm going to head down to the fridge and get me a bottle of...diet Pepsi to start the night out. :D

 

I'll be right back...

 

P.S. the hubby is playing Christmas music in the background, so if I disappear, I have fallen asleep. ;) (While I absolutely LOVE Christmas, I'm one of those that hate when they rush it and start putting decorations up in the store the day after Halloween. Geesh, can we have Thanksgiving first?) :p

Edited November 9, 2015 by mitsugirly

[sunbird21]

P.S. the hubby is playing Christmas music in the background, so if I disappear, I have fallen asleep. ;) (While I absolutely LOVE Christmas, I'm one of those that hate when they rush it and start putting decorations up in the store the day after Halloween. Geesh, can we have Thanksgiving first?) :p

 

 

Try this... My bank playing Christmas music the day BEFORE Halloween.

 

 

Studying wine is almost as involved as nursing school...Which white zin got me through very well[emoji1] Years later I've progressed to reds, but it takes time and interest at the moment. Though if you do ever get into wine, it'll give you some extra excursion ideas if you venture on a European cruise( though your daughter may be bored with that one).

 

In any case, looking forward and not to reading the last day of your review... (I say "not" because it's still keeping my cruise alive for me, so will be sorry to see it end)!

 

Stacey

 

 

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[mitsugirly]

Day 7 Sea Day:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well I have absolutely no "notes" from this day. So, I guess I'm going to wing it. LOL

 

We got up and I knew one of the perks of being Platinum now was a free bag of laundry. Now this is something I would NEVER pay for. But, I figured since we got a bag for free...I'd give it a shot. Our room steward Ruby was outside in the hall and I inquired what to do and she said since it was the last day to get everything together and leave it on the bed when we left the room and she would take it with her when she cleaned and have it back to us before the end of the day. She told us to fill out one of the forms inside the room, put the clothes in the bag and that's what I did.

 

I have to say I managed to shove quite a bit of clothes in there, mostly Sakari's since hers is so small. I didn't put anything in there that could "possibly ruin" or that should be hand washed...such as dress clothes, bathing suits or a lot of Sakari's shirts that have the sequins on them.

 

 

 

 

 

We had managed to pick up some "goodies" for Sakari when we were shopping in the port yesterday and we had sent her to the kids club to make it a little more simple to do in a hurry. This morning, I gave her all her goodies to keep her busy while I was packing my laundry bag.

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

We were all starving and wanted to go get breakfast. I decided I wanted to sit down and relax and be served...after all, all that packing had worn me out. hehe

 

We headed to O'Sheehans.

 

 

 

Sakari was still painted from the night before. She loves to have her face painted and she refuses to take a shower at the end of the day after returning from the kids club if it's painted. I had someone once say something to me about her having it on the next day (a counselor) in a very rude mannor...like "Oh my gosh girl. Did you forget to take a shower last night? You still have your face paint on." (It wasn't from this cruise, but it pissed me off because they tried to make me look like a bad mom for not washing it off). I will never forget this. I think about it every time I allow her to leave it on. Sigh

 

 

 

 

 

It looks like others had the same idea as us, but I never really find it too crowded in here (on any of the ships) during breakfast.

 

 

Breakfast came and it was yummy as always and our bellies were full.

 

Off to the next adventure....which would last most of the day.

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

You could tell that it was starting to get a little cooler than it was the day before. However, Sakari could care less about the temps. She will probably beg to get in the pool/hot tub if we ever take an Alaskan cruise. That's just her.

 

She begged and begged and I finally gave in. We headed up to the kids water area to see if we were the only crazy people on the ship allowing their kids in the water. Nope, we weren't (and there were even adults in the pools). So, that made me feel better. However, I knew I was not about to get in there. It just wasn't warm enough for me.

 

 

 

Like always, Sakari makes friends easily.

 

 

 

 

 

Sakari's Patrick imitation. She insisted that I wait for the perfect moment to get his "arm pits sweating out".

 

 

 

 

 

I ran into my friend from the ferry again and we sat down and talked for quite some time. She was so nice and we had some great conversations. I had only wished I had met her earlier in the cruise. It was so nice to be able to chat longer than our short convo in St George. It kept me occupied while Sakari did her thing instead of me being bored sitting there.

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

I managed to spot Kendra and Brayden walking down the isle and I threw the pool towel over my head and tried to hide. It didn't work. I guess the rest of my body hanging out gave it away.

 

She was telling me that they had some neat carved food in the buffet and I needed to go check it out and get pictures...you know, for my review. So that's what I did.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

 

 

Now of course I was not hungry already, but...one is never too full to get ice cream right?

 

 

I figured if I would come back with ice cream in my hand that Sakari would want some and we would be able to ease her out of the water to dry off and ease our way back to the room. But no....she could care less. Water=more fun.

 

She started begging to go to the pool...so momma gave in to that as well.